David McDaid: 'People still call me a mercenary for joining Larne in 2017'

David McDaid says people still label him a "mercenary" for joining Larne in 2017, but he insists his five years at Inver Park were some of the best of his career.

The striker rejected the advances of Linfield to join the then Championship strugglers seven years ago, in what was described as one of the coups of the season.

It was a marquee signing that sparked the arrival of several other high-profile names at Inver Park, including the likes of Marty Donnelly and Conor Devlin, with the club going on to win promotion in 2019.

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McDaid would remain at Inver until 2022 when he moved to Ballymena United, but he played a significant role in the club's mesmeric rise to the top, capped off by back-to-back Premiership titles.

The 33-year-old said: "It is no surprise to see Larne achieve what they have. It is well documented I turned down Linfield to join Larne. People laughed at me at the time.

"I met Kenny Bruce and he sold me a dream of what he was going to do with Larne, and I believed him. I have met many owners and chairmen before and you can see through the bull****. But with Kenny, you sensed something big was brewing.

"And to be fair, everything he said in the meeting when I signed for Larne, has come true. He has made a difference.

"I live in Larne now, and that speaks for itself. The club has a special place in my heart, and it is great to see what they are doing. They gave transformed the league.

"Linfield have finished 10 points higher than last season, and they still haven't won the title. Players are going full-time, young players are coming through their academy and playing first-team football or moving across the water.

"And I want to keep seeing a conveyor belt of talent coming through and playing for Northern Ireland who are from here, instead of qualifying through this, that and the other.

"It is credit to Tiernan (Lynch), Seamus (Lynch) and Kenny (Bruce). Tiernan has done wonders in what is his first ever job as a manager."

Despite buying into Larne owner Kenny Bruce's "vision" seven years ago, McDaid says he still gets labelled a 'money-grabber' after making the move to Inver in 2017, and joining a club struggling in the lower half of the Championship.

"I still get that mercenary shout," he adds.

"People can look at it that way. Even that first year, I was the first signing Larne made so it felt special to me. So leaving Larne was tough.

"But Kenny had that vision of Champions League music when we were second bottom in the Championship and playing games on the muckiest pitches I had ever seen.

"So he had the vision to see that far down the line. And Inver Park is a special place now. It is a special atmosphere, but maybe I am slightly biased."

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